


Tales From Hyrule

by vannahfanfics



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Angst, Fluff, Gen, Oneshot, Oneshot collection
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-28
Updated: 2020-10-28
Packaged: 2021-03-09 07:20:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,813
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27199739
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vannahfanfics/pseuds/vannahfanfics
Summary: A collection of oneshots from the various Legend of Zelda games.DISCLAIMER: I do not own the characters presented within these stories. Those rights belong to Nintendo.
Relationships: Link & Zelda (Legend of Zelda)
Kudos: 3





	1. Foreword

Hello everyone! Welcome to my oneshot collection for the Legend of Zelda Franchise, _Tales from Hyrule!_ It includes a variety of stories, from passionate romances to tales of friendship, and I hope everyone enjoys reading them as much as I enjoy writing them. If you have migrated here from _Cuddle Corner,_ thank you for sticking with me; if you are new, welcome and enjoy what I have here! In either case, happy reading!

I do take prompts/pairing and story requests (in fact, I love them, so please feel free to request!). However, there are a couple of guidelines to keep in mind:

  * If a prompt is submitted, I **do not** guarantee that I will agree to write it. If I feel uncomfortable at the prompt or otherwise feel like I do not possess enough information to adequately complete the prompt, it is my right to politely refuse to take the prompt. If the prompt is from a series that I have not read/seen, it is likely that I will place the prompt on hold until I have done so. If the prompt is from an anime filler arc, I may refuse or require a short explanation of the filler arc to provide me with enough detail to complete the prompt. Please respect my choice as an author to refuse prompts. 
  * Please do not comment with ship hate. I do not tolerate ship discrimination here (within reason, citing the rules below); it is a sure-fire way to earn yourself a block. I am a multi-shipper and don't care about petty ship wars, so it's really quite rude to come on here bleating that I am "delusional" for writing non-canon ships for fun. _Don't do it._ I write your ship too, I promise. Let others enjoy their ships. 
  * Most of the stories I write are male/female, mostly because this is what I am comfortable writing. However, if you wish to suggest a female/female or male/male prompt, please feel free to do so. I don't discriminate against such pairings and will most likely write them if requested, it is just unlikely that I will do so spontaneously. Again, please respect my decision as the author to refuse to write a pairing if I cannot draw appropriate inspiration.
  * Finally, this is _not_ a place for smut. I respect people who read and/or write it, but I am not one of those people, so please do not request anything that is NSFW. Incest and pedophilia are also prohibited. Other than NSFW, there are two other things to keep I mind. _I do not romanticize cheating_. So if I feel your request involves something of this nature, I will politely refuse. I have been hassled about this before, so please don’t press me on it. Secondly, _I am sensitive about large age gaps between characters_. These will be taken on a case-by-case basis and depends on the age of the characters as well as their relationship. I am particularly iffy concerning student-teacher relationships, and those will most likely be refused. Of course, everyone is entitled to their preferences and I will never harass you or judge you if you request something of this nature. All I ask is that if I refuse, you take is gracefully, and don’t get upset if I happen to write another pairing with an age gap because the circumstances are most likely radically different. I promise you that I have my reasons. 



My requests are currently: **OPEN**


	2. Index

**Chapter 1:** Ashes and Daisies ( _Link_ )

 **Chapter 2:** Prayer ( _Zelda_ )


	3. Ashes and Daisies

Category: General Fluff, Slight Angst

Characters: Link

The wind whistled as it blustered through the tall fronds of the pale green grass that framed the paved roads beneath Link’s feet. His eyes traced the meandering paths weaving through the shells of destroyed buildings and crumbling walls. Sharp corners hugged by fresh green, concentric circles looping around canals that had long since run dry, grimy stone that hadn’t seen the spines of a street broom for well on a century— they were painfully nostalgic to Link as he silently tracked their course towards the heart of the town. In this desolate place, only his footfalls and the songbirds’ twitters sounded in the ash-choked air. 

Even after a century, life was still hesitant to encroach this close to Calamity Ganon’s lair. 

Link coughed quietly as the gray-black flecks invaded his nose and throat. Even after all this time, it clouded in dense mists around the burned remnants of barracks and houses. The clouds of darkness remained as a testament to the sheer malice that had invaded this once peaceful community. Link felt a bitter sorrow creep up from his belly as if summoned by the ash flakes. After awakening from his century-long slumber, he had resigned himself to the fact that his world had changed.

Still, seeing Castle Town reduced to cinders and ashes, a lifeless husk of its former glory, was painfully sobering. 

He came to the ruins of the fountain at the heart of the settlement. Its hand-carved cistern had crumbled in several places, large chunks of rock and cracked foundation making for an ugly silhouette against the clouded sky. The sparse sunlight filtered down to gleam against the shattered statue in the middle. One wing of the Triforce emblem stoically extended into the air, like a fist raised in defiance and solidarity. 

Link’s eyes were lidded as he gazed upon the sorry sight. He summoned forth the memory of crystal-clear water cascading from the emblem and splashing down into the pool— of bronze and silver and gold coins glittering at the bottom, relics whispering townspeople’s wishes. The image brought a smile to his lips, though it was tainted with regret. 

His eyebrows cinched as a rather distinct memory bubbled forth from the recesses of his mind. 

_ ~One Hundred Years Ago~ _

The water trickled pleasantly in the fountain. Its arcing streams glistened silver in the bright sunlight streaming down from the azure sky above. The congenial tinkling accented the hum of polite conversation reverberating in the circular plaza. The sunlight refracting off the liquid painted shifting, kaleidoscopic patterns over the silver plating of his armor; the lights danced over the sigil of Hyrule adorning the metal, crowning it in ephemeral light. Link stood resolutely beside the fountain as Zelda perched on its edge, dipping her slim fingers into the rippling water. 

A tiny smile tugged at his lips as the princess hummed a tune under her breath. She had a beautiful voice, his princess. 

Link could not allow himself to be distracted. Even Castle Town had its dark alleys and seedy underbelly. He craned his neck to peer over the heads of the people meandering through the plaza. Most were civilians, busily going about their daily comings and goings, though a few Hyrule soldiers lounged under the awnings ringing the plaza. A handful of them was absorbed in a card game in the corner. Another two were inspecting a blacksmith’s wares instead of attending to their guard duties. 

Link glowered, having half a mind to have them scolded. 

“Link,” Zelda laughed beside him. When he glanced at her, she was smiling amusedly. “It’s all right. There’s no need to be so tense, you know.” 

Link’s scowl deepened slightly. Sometimes, Zelda could be so naïve. Even now, the Yiga could be lurking in the town, disguised as an everyday citizen. The thought made Link’s eyes sweep once more across the plaza; all he saw were pleasant smiles and content expressions— no hints of malice or ill intent. 

Begrudgingly, he allowed the tension to ease from his muscles, just a bit. 

“See? Doesn’t it feel good to relax?” Zelda hummed with a raised eyebrow. 

Link just screwed up his face at her in a clear look of distaste. Zelda laughed again, filling the air with a sound like the castle’s ringing bells calling the soldiers home. A sweet sound. A beautiful sound. A sound of  _ home _ . 

Link tensed again at the pitter-patter of rapid footsteps approaching. His hand flew to the hilt of his Master Sword, the metal scraping against the scabbard as he began to pull it out, but Zelda hurriedly jumped up and slapped her palm against his breastplate with a loud “No!” Link looked at her in shock, then followed her gaze to where a little girl weaved through the crowd.

The child’s breaths came in little pants as she skittered to a stop in front of the knight and his charge. She gazed up at Zelda with gleaming emerald eyes flooded with admiration. Clumsily, she extended her hand, which grasped a ragged daisy she’d likely plucked from the patches of wildflowers blooming in the grasses nearby. 

“For you, Princess!” 

“Oh, why, thank you,” Zelda smiled graciously as she kneeled before the little girl. She gently took the flower and turned it between her thumb and forefinger, acclaiming it as if it were a gorgeous rose instead of a bedraggled daisy. After humming approvingly, Zelda swept her tresses of golden hair behind her shoulder so that she could tuck the daisy behind her ear. “How do I look?” 

“You the most beautifulest princess ever!” the little girl giggled and clapped her hands. When she noticed Link standing beside the kneeling Zelda, she gasped. “Wait! I’ll be right back, okay?” she said before dashing off between a pair of elderly women conversing about the fruit prices for the day. They both exclaimed as the child charged past them, then chortled joyously at her seemingly boundless energy. 

Zelda tossed Link a teasing grin. 

“One heck of a Yiga spy, huh?” 

Link made another face at her. 

They both turned as the little girl’s footsteps echoed through the plaza once more. She sprinted right up to Link, beaming ecstatically. Her smile outshone the burning sun above as she presented Link another daisy, this one more pathetic than the last— flopping over with a bent stem, with several petals missing. 

Link couldn’t help but smirk in amusement. 

Following Zelda’s suit, he knelt down before the child and went to take the flower from her. His eyes widened when she shook her head and retracted the bloom. 

“Please, allow me, Mr. Knight!” she insisted. Link could only stare blankly as the child tottered up to loop the stem of the flower around his ear. Its sweet scent wafted up his nose as she brought it past his face. The blossom bobbed against the locks of his golden-brown hair, the petals weaving into the fine strands. “There. A good-luck charm!” 

Link raised a hand to brush his fingertips across the white petals of the daisy. They were soft, like silk, so delicate against his calloused hands. He dropped his hand with a smile at the little girl and an acknowledging nod for good measure. The child grinned with a self-satisfied hum. 

A woman’s voice cut across the plaza. 

“Oops. My mom is calling me. Bye, Princess! Bye, Mr. Knight!” 

Zelda and Link both watched fondly as the little girl disappeared into the crowd and into a bright future. 

_ ~Present Day~ _

Link’s hand slowly ascended to brush his fingers over the shell of his ear. He could imagine it, the stem tucked against his skin, the soft petals nestled against his hair. He stared forlornly into the plaza. There were no happy civilians, now old ladies contentedly conversing underneath the warm sun, no little girls bounding around their mothers’ legs begging for a treat. 

No, there was just ash, and dust, and desolation. 

Link stared hollowly toward the edge of the plaza, where the girl had once disappeared with her kindly mother. Did they survive, he wondered? Did they escape the fires and flames and destruction? Did that little girl get to grow up, and have her own little girl, and watch her grow, and die peacefully in her bed as she deserved to? 

Link clenched his fist so tightly that his knuckles glared white in the gloom. That was the worst part… Not knowing. 

He forced his gaze away from the ash and dilapidated buildings, upward to the castle shelled with pulsating black magic. He set his jaw and gripped his Master Sword tight, steeling his nerve and preparing himself for the trial ahead. Then, he started walking, up the path that was so familiar to him but was so foreign too now that it had been disfigured by evil. 

Link didn’t know what happened to the little girl. He doubted that he ever would. She was just a figment of a forgotten past, an unknown in a great sea of unknowns. Yet he did know this— he was going to climb that castle and smote Calamity Ganon upon the wreckage of this once great kingdom. He was going to reclaim the future for the country he’d sworn to protect, to the people he’d sworn to protect— 

To the princess that he’d sworn to protect, so she could smile among her people in peace once more. 

As he walked his lonely road up to the castle, he spotted daisies blooming in the grasses lining the pathway. 


	4. Prayer

Category: Angst 

Characters: Link, Zelda

Zelda’s eyes were lidded as she stared at the goddess statue erected at the opposite end of the spring. The winged stone effigy clasped her hands in eternal prayer, a wordless benediction that rang hollowly in Zelda’s body as the minute humming of the powers had failed to summon. The Spring of Power, this place was called; Zelda hoped it would live up to its epithet and grant her access to the power she so sorely needed to protect Hyrule against Calamity Ganon’s inevitable second coming. 

The hem of Zelda’s white dress swished as she tugged upward on the sleek, soft silk, exposing her sandaled feet. Silently, she slipped free of the hand-woven shoes and gently kicked them to the side. They rolled onto their edges, bearing the well-worn soles to her similarly wearied eyes. They had endured Zelda for thousands of miles on her pilgrimage to the sacred springs and allied civilizations. The shoes were clearly on their last legs, evidenced by the smooth soles and fraying leather. 

Zelda was on her last legs, too, clinging to a fragile shred of hope like the dying embers of a fire. 

Zelda raised her dress higher to expose her shins, knees, and lower thighs. She shivered as the cool breeze wafting through the spring kissed her skin, springing goose pimples over her flesh. Bunching the white cloth in one hand, she slowly descended the carved stone steps into the clear waters of the pool. 

She flinched immediately at the coldness that washed over her ankles and lapped at her shins. She paused for a moment, biting down on her lip as she adjusted to the temperature, before easing herself further in. The stone was smooth and slick beneath the soles of her feet, forcing her to use caution on her descent. Impatience bubbled in her blood; she wanted nothing more than to splash into the pool and rant like a child, but that was unbecoming of a princess. 

The seaweed swayed with the water current. Their emerald fronds brushed against her legs as if to wish her luck as she waded into the spring. The ripples created by her moving body propagated across the surface to splash against the algae-coated stone cliffs ringing the hidden spring. 

Zelda stopped a few feet in front of the statue to look up at it with sad eyes. Water coalesced on its stone face, condensing into beads that slipped down its rounded cheeks every so often. The statue wept for Zelda, wept for her desperation and failure. 

Zelda dropped the hem of her dress. It ballooned around her like a lily blossom before soaking up the liquid and drifting down to waft ethereally around her legs. With her eye fixed on the statue, Zelda too clasped her hands in prayer. 

“I come seeking help regarding this power that has been handed down over time,” she began solemnly. The full moon shone in the indigo sky stretching behind the statue’s head, illuminating the motherly smile etched forever into its benevolent visage. Zelda felt intimidated by the smile, imagining a malevolence in those curled lips— a disappointment burning within the stone at her failure. Zelda gulped and clenched her fingers tighter as if that would make her words more resonant. 

“Prayer will awaken my power to seal Ganon away.” The wind rustled through the gaps in the stone, rippling the water and causing the blue flowers blooming amongst the freshwater grasses to dance in the moonlight. Zelda’s eyes dropped to the ever-shifting water, and she gulped. “Or so I have been told all my life…” 

Her hands dropped down to her sides, following suit with her sky-blue eyes. Her fingertips dipped below the surface of the water. They twitched as the numbing cold spread up her nerves. The chill tracked a path all the way up her arm and into her chest to wrap icy tendrils around her aching, forlorn heart. 

“And yet… Grandmother heard them… The voices from the spirit realm— and mother said her own power would develop within me. But… I don’t hear or feel  _ anything _ !” she exclaimed sorrowfully. She clenched her fists in frustration and cast her head to the side, suddenly feeling unworthy to gaze upon the goddess’s image. Tears prickled at the corners of her eyes and beaded on her golden lashes. She fluttered them a few times, collecting them within the fine strands to prevent them from streaming down her cheeks. 

She could not cry… not yet. 

“Father had told me time and time again,” she said, looking back up at the statue, who continued to grant her that sickeningly serene smile laced with loathing. “He always says, ‘Quit wasting your time playing at being a scholar!’” She spit out the words, the hostility from the statue stirring forth her own self-doubt, bitterness, and sorrow. She clasped her hands in prayer again as she stared miserably at the deity that was supposed to be her patron. 

“ _ Curse you _ .” Zelda gritted her teeth and splashed her curled fists down in the water. The water splashed up her sides, drenching her dress and gold-wrought belt with cold droplets, but the chill had already seeped into her system from head-to-toe. The only warmth came from the ferocious fire retaliating in her heart, fueled by years of pent-up anger. “I’ve spent every day of my life dedicated to  _ praying _ ! I’ve  _ pleaded  _ the spirits tied to the ancient gods… and the holy powers have proven deaf to my devotion.” 

The fire rapidly dwindled as it was eclipsed by the cold rush of shame and sorrow. Sniffling, Zelda bowed her head and wrapped her arms around herself, trying to protect the one small ember of angry hope flickering inside of her from the cold despair that threatened to freeze her solid. 

“Please, just tell me…” she whispered. The tears on her lashes finally grew too heavy and dropped down into the pool below. Zelda watched the ripples shimmer across the water, watched the little waves sparkle with the white light of the moon. Her fingers dug into the skin of her upper arms to imprint deep crescent moons. The sting reawakened her freezing nerves, but only just. 

“What is it? What’s wrong with me?” 

The goddess yielded no answer. When Zelda looked up with tear-filled eyes, the statue just gave her that sickly placid smile that made Zelda’s stomach turn. Bitterness churned in her belly. As she’d feared, she would receive no answers here. 

She had no energy left to be angry anymore. Her arms dropped back into the water as she sighed despondently, body sagging with misery and exhaustion. The cold nipped at her skin, and it was the only force that propelled her to turn and trudge through the mud and weeds back to the stone causeway. If she could, she would remain rooted to the spot forever, another praying statue with tears streaming down her cheeks and a forlorn smile painting her face. 

Link gazed blankly at her as she mounted the stairs. She wiped away her tears with the backs of her hands, wincing as the cold metal of her golden armguards grazed her reddened, tear-stained cheeks. He held the Master Sword in his hand, fingers glaring white in the starlight as he gripped it in an iron-knuckle grip. Zelda found a smile working its way into her lips. 

It comforted her to see the silent knight angered on her behalf. 

“I’m all right, Link,” she reassured him as she ascended the last step. She stopped to wring out the sodden folds of her dress. Link respectfully averted his gaze as the pale flesh of her thighs flashed in the gloom. Water splattered against the pavement as she twisted the fabric tightly between her fingers. It was cathartic, in a way; she could almost imagine she was strangling her own insecurities and shortcomings. 

If only it were that simple. 

Link looked back to her when the damp cloth of her dress dropped back down to flutter around her shins. She primly clasped her hands in front of her stomach and smiled kindly at him. Unlike the goddess still sneering behind her, Zelda’s smile held no hidden animosity. Link’s unwavering devotion and quiet empathy soothed her to the depths of her soul, stoking the fires in the crumbling hearth of hope. 

“Please, I’m all right,” she repeated with a laugh as he narrowed his golden-brown eyebrows suspiciously. “It is frustrating, but there is no use in focusing on the negative. I must harden my resolve and push forward!” To punctuate her determined outburst, she balled up her first and pursed her lips steadfastly. 

Link blinked at her, then released a quiet chuckle. It made Zelda’s smile widen, for it t was such a soft, sweet sound. 

“Let us make haste back to camp, yes?” she hummed as she clasped her hands behind her back and strolled forward. Link nodded and fell in step with her, swinging his gilded sword by his side. 

Against her better judgment, Zelda cast a glance back at the statue. A wispy gray cloud had eclipsed the moon, carving stark shadows in the otherwise delicate features of the statue’s face. The water glinted like chips of ice to delineate its squinting eyes, and its smile seemed all the more threatening. 

Zelda quickened her pace and shuffled sideways to huddle close to Link, fingers grasping the leather of his armguards. He said nothing, only edged closer. The heat radiating from his person chased away the cold smile burned into her memory, at least just for a little while. 

_ I will not let you defeat me,  _ she vowed silently.  _ I will unlock this power of mine and protect Hyrule.  _

_ I will not let you defeat me.  _


End file.
